Dash-five for Ukraine
On 8 October 2024, France Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu reasserted that France will provide Ukraine with Mirage 2000 aircraft. The first batch of Mirage 2000s is scheduled for delivery to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2025 and the training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics is already underway in France.
The Mirage deal has been in the works for many months and deliveries of Mirage 2000 were previously discussed. On 6 June 2024, President Macron announced in a television interview that France would deliver Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force and Ukrainian President Zelensky said in February 2024 “We are talking about fighter planes with France”.
Specific details regarding the quantity of aircraft were not disclosed but government officials confirmed the aircraft will be equipped with new technology, focusing on the air-to-ground role (the current RDY radar is not intended to be used in the air-to-ground role) and new electronic warfare capabilities. The upgrade work is taking place at Cazaux air base. A similar EW-boost was done by USAF specialists from the 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron on the F-16AM delivered to Ukraine, to counter against the latest Russian threats.
The French Air Force received in total 124 Mirage 2000Cs, 37 of which have been upgraded to the Mirage 2000-5F variant and became the spearhead of France air defence. The dash-five was commissioned in 1999 at Dijon-Longvic Air Base 102, remained here until 2012, when it relocated to its current station, Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Air Base 116, in Gironde, equiping Groupe de Chasse 01.002. It is also stationed at Base Aérienne 188, located at the international airport of Ambouli in Djibouti, as part of a bilateral agreement. 
The French Air Force has currently a little over twenty Mirage 2000-5Fs. The end of life is expected to take place around 2028 but could be sooner than expected because of the Ukraine deal.